As throngs gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, CRD Associates found another way to pay tribute to Dr. King’s legacy.

We showed up at Martha’s Table promptly at 10 am, where we were greeted by a crew of dedicated individuals who devote every day to fulfilling Dr. King’s dream.

For those of you who may not be familiar with it, Martha’s Table was founded in 1980 to provide education, nutrition, clothing, and family support programs to DC’s residents. Among other services, Martha's Table provides more than 300 young people from the ages of three months to 18 years old with nutritious meals and supervised education.

The idea of volunteering at Martha’s Table was the brain child of Erika Miller and Johanna Gray, our self-appointed “activities” committee. What better way to capture the spirit of Dr. King’s words, they thought, than by serving our neighbors and our community?

After a brief introduction to the chef and full-time staff—and a brain teaser to be sure we were alert enough to avoid self-amputation—we were handed our chopping utensils and given an assignment. Katina Pierce and Johanna Gray: chicken parts. Nick Cavarocchi and Dom: onions. Erika: cantaloupe.

Each of us dutifully carried out our assigned task, all the while wondering how Lyle Dennis managed to draw the enviable job of making PB and J sandwiches. It didn’t seem fair!
We left Martha’s Table 3½ hours later. A little leg-weary, but feeling as though, in our own small way, we’d contributed.

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